Why Does My Dog Try to Bite When Petting His Head?

I have a 5 yr old long haired Silky and for no reason when I wanted to pet his head he growls and wants to bite. He has bitten me and my husband before. At most times he is so sweet and then he can turn to the dog from hell. I sometimes am so afraid of him and also love him. Could he have something wrong with his brain or what? Please advise me of what I should do. Thanks.

I would definitely take your dog to the vet; it's trying to tell you something. I'm not saying this is what is going on with your dog, but it's an example, my example actually. My dog loved for her eyes to be rubbed, for years. Then one day she didn't like, really didn't like it. I let it go for about 3 weeks, but she still didn't like it. I took her in, they checked her out and they found cancer in her nose. I'm not saying your dog has anything that is that serious, I'm just saying they tell us things in their own way.

First and foremost, take your dog to the vet for an evaluation. Anytime there are behavioral issues, you should have your vet make sure there aren't any physical underlying causes. If the vet deems that the behavior isn't due to a medical problem, then ask for a referral to a good professional dog trainer. (I have a miniature pinscher who also is very sweet, but without proper training and control, he would have become a little monster!) You shouldn't have to worry about being bitten by your own dog. Plus if this behavior isn't corrected, he could bite someone else and then there might be legal liability problems you may have to deal with. The biggest concern would be if he were to bite a child. Not too many people have sympathy for an owner if a child gets hurt. He may be cute, but being bitten isn't so cute to anyone. Watch some episodes of the Dog Whisperer with Cesear Milan. That will help for some general understanding, but get a professional to help you before someone gets hurt!